93rd Avenue Intersection Brings Speeding, Congestion Concerns
The intersection of 93rd Avenue and Noble Parkway in Brooklyn Park is under scrutiny due to a higher number of accidents. The city is working with Hennepin County to install a traffic signal at the intersection. The installation is planned for next year, but first the city has to approve the planning process.
“It’s an area that we have seen some increased accidents,” says Dan Ruiz, Brooklyn Park’s director of operations and maintenance. “As a result of trying to improve safety, we are working with Hennepin County to first design the traffic signal installation this year, and then the actual installation will be done next year.”
Reducing the speed surrounding the area has been a topic of discussion. A new state law could potentially allow cities to decide speed limits in problem areas, which has prompted the city to discuss the possibility.
“The legislature just changed the law this session,” said Ruiz. “Local municipalities can set some speed limits now. The exact guidelines and best practices for that haven’t been worked out yet. It’s something we’ve reached out to the League of Minnesota Cities to talk about. They are going to put together some best practices and then we will have to adopt a policy, if and when we are going to change any local speed limits.”
It’s unclear at this point if the speed limit will be changed on 93rd Avenue. However, the traffic light is something both the city and the county thinks will make the area safer.
